Wall mounted shelf assembly

ABSTRACT

A wall mounted shelf assembly especially suitable for closet shelves. A pair of support brackets are installed in opposite walls. Each bracket has a plurality of teeth which are driven into the wall to secure the bracket in place. Each bracket has a flange that projects outwardly from the wall and a shelf that is formed of thin, substantially rigid, material, such as sheet metal, is supported on the flanges of the brackets. The shelf has telescoping sections for adjusting the length of the shelf and a locking device for preventing movement of the sections relative to each other.

United States Patent Diamond et al.

[54] WALL MOUNTED SHELF ASSEMBLY [72] Inventors: Robert F. Diamond, Reston, Va.; George W. Kingston, Chevy Chase, Md.

[73] Assignee: Timber Engineering Company, Washington, DC.

[22] Filed: Jan. 15, 1971 [21] App1.No.: 106,809

[52] U.S.Cl. ..108/42,211/90,211/135 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47b 23/00 [58] Field of Search .....108/40-44; 211/134, 135, 90; 248/247, 248

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,098,227 5/1914 Casper ..248/248 2,993,603 7/1961 Fonn ..108/42 UX 2,768,043 11/1956 Kristoffet a1 ..108/46 1,830,347 11/1931 Camden ..108/44X 1,521,902 l/1925 MOtt ..108/42 2,261,078 10/1941 Shockey ..108/42 [4 1 Oct. 17, 1972 2,465,635 3/1949 Conterio 108/42 2,527,253 10/1950 l-ledfield et a1. ..248/239 2,849,123 8/1958 Magill 108/42 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 46,663 12/ l 932 Denmark 108/44 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay Assistant Examiner-Glenn O. Finch Attorney-Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis [57] ABSTRACT 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENiEDnm 1 1 m2 SHEET 1 OF 2 lea INVENTORS N D mm m DK W ME Em 0E RG BY Bur/u, bow,

Quacku Motif:

ATTORN EYS PATENTEflum 17 I912 3.698.329

sum 2 or 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to shelving, and more particularly to systems for installing shelving between opposed walls, such as in closets.

There are several methods commonly used for installing shelving in closets, or in similar locations. It is current practice to install drywall sheets over wood studding. According to one method of construction, a shelf support is provided by nailing a horizontal wood strip over the drywall, by driving nails through the strip and into the studding. A shelf is then cut from a length of shelving lumber and installed with opposite ends of the shelf resisting on the horizontal wood strip. This method uses inexpensive materials, but requires a carpenters time to measure the proper lengths of support strip, then to saw the strip at the correct lengths to locate the studs behind the drywall and to nail the strip in place. Finally, the carpenter must measure and cut the shelf to the correct length. All of these steps require a substantial amount of time of a skilled workrhan.

Recently, metal brackets have been introduced in the trade as a replacement for the wood shelf support strip. These metal brackets have teeth projecting outwardly to be driven into the drywall for supporting a wood shelf that has been cut to the proper length. The wood shelf, which is usually cut from lumber having a nominal thickness of one inch, is supported on a ledge formed on each wall bracket. The ends of the shelf abut against the portion of the bracket from which the teeth project into the drywall. Thus, the wood shelf prevents the teeth from withdrawing from the wall when a load is supported on the shelf. Although these wall brackets reduce the time required for installation, it is still necessary to measure and cut the wood shelf to the proper length.

Other examples of closet shelving include metal shelving in which the shelf is secured to the wall by toggle bolts or by screws which engage the studs behind the drywall. Due to the flexibility of sheet metal shelving, some provision must be made for accommodating flexing of the shelving under load. Metal shelving has generally been found unsatisfactory for use with wall brackets of the type having teeth which are embedded in the drywall as the primary support for the bracket.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the defects of prior systems, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved shelving system.

Another object of this invention is to provide a system for rapidly installing shelves in closets and similar locations, without requiring the services of skilled technicians. V A further object of this invention is to provide a shelving system in which the components are preformed and do not need to be measured and cut in order to fit properly in the closet.

These objects are accomplished in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention by a pair of elongated support brackets and an adjustable shelf unit. The brackets each have an elongated bearing plate with a plurality of teeth projecting from one side of the plate and a support flange projecting from the opposite side of the plate. The teeth and the flange are substantially aligned on opposite sides of the plate. Each bracket is secured to the wall surface by embedding the teeth in the wall with the bearing plate engaging the wall surface. The shelf unit has a pair of telescoping shelf sections and is formed of thin material with flanges which cooperate to secure the sections together, and a lock to prevent longitudinal movement of the sections relative to each other. The shelf sections have a horizontal support surface which rests on the flange of each bracket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This preferred embodiment is illustrated in the ac companying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is aperspective view of a shelf installation in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shelf along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the shelf along the line 3-3 in FIG; 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the shelf and bracket;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly along the line 55 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a typical closet is framed with wood studs 2. Sheets of drywall are cut to the proper size and applied over the studs 2 by nailing to form the back wall 4 and the side walls 6.

The shelf assembly includes a shelf unit 8 and wall brackets 10 at opposite ends of the shelf. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, each bracket It] is in the form of an elongated strip 12. The teeth 14 aregenerally triangular and the root of each tooth has a substantial horizontal bearing surface 16, as shown in FIG. 5, when the bracket 10 is installed in the side wall 6. Also, the surface of the strip 12 bears against the surface of the side wall 6 above and below the teeth 14.

The bracket 10 has a flange 18 which projects outwardly from the side of the strip 12 opposite the teeth 14. Preferably, the flange 18 is aligned with the teeth 14, but in order to accommodate manufacturing requirements, it may be necessary to offset the flange 18, at least to the extent shown in FIG. 5. By arranging the flange 18 substantially in alignment with the teeth 14, the load applied downwardly on the flange 18 by the shelf is transmitted to the teeth 14 in shear. If the flange 18 were offset from the teeth 14 to a substantial degree, such as being located along the bottom of the strip, the leverage applied through the strip 12 might be sufficient to rotate the strip about the bottom edge and thereby cause the teeth 14 to be withdrawn from the wall 6.

The shelf unit 8 preferably has two sections 20 and 22 arranged in telescoping relation. The section 20 serves as the inner member and the section 22 serves as the outer member. As shown in F116. 2, the outer and inner shelf sections have substantially flat horizontal support portions 24 and 26, respectively. The inner section 20 is folded midway of its width to form a longitudinal groove 28 between a pair of flanges 30. Along its lateral margins, the inner section 20 is folded to form a flange or channel 32.

The outer section 22 is folded midway of its width to form a central flange 34 which is received in the groove 28 in the inner section 20. Along its lateral margins, the outer section 22 is folded to form a flange or channel 36 conforming to the shape of the channel 32. The inner and outer section fit closely together but are capable of sliding longitudinally with ease.

As shown in FIG. 3, the flange 34 f the outer section 22 has a plurality of slots 38 spaced apart longitudinally at regular intervals. The flanges 30 of the inner section 20 are each provided with a slot 40. The flanges 30 and 34 are locked together by a bolt 42 which passes through the slots 38 and 40 and is clamped by a nut 44.

Preferably, the inner section 20 is assembled with and outer section 22 of a length which causes the bolt 42 to be at a location that is offset from midway the length of the shelf. By being offset, the bolt 42 offers greater resistance to deflection of the shelf under load.

As shown in FIG. 6, the horizontal support portion 24 of the outer section 22 rests on the flange 18 of the bracket 10. The flange 18 has a slot 46 in which the flange 34 is received. The channels 36 overlap the ends of the flange l8 and not only prevent the shelf from being displaced alterally off of the flange 18, but also prevent the shelf from being disengaged by lifting off of the flange, since the bottom of each channel 36 passes under the flange 18. Similarly, the inner shelf section 20 is supported on the opposite wall bracket 10.

In order to install a shelf in a closet in accordance with this invention, the wall brackets 10 are first positioned at the appropriate height on the side walls 6. By means of a hammer, the teeth 14 are driven into the drywall until the strip 12 bears against the surface of the wall. An outer shelf section 22 of appropriate length is selected and assembled with an inner section 20. With the bolt 42 removed, and the sections 20 and 22 are displaced to shorten the length of the shelf. The sections 20 and 22 are then displaced apart to increase the length of the shelf until the support portions 24 and 26 of the respective sections rest on the flanges 18 in the relation shown in FIG. 6. The bolt 42 is then installed through the slots 38 and 40, and the nut 44 is applied to secure the shelf sections together.

The flanges and channels of both shelf sections 20 and 22 resist deflection of the shelf under load. Since it is supported at opposite ends, the shelf acts as a simple beam and must be reasonably resistant to deflection. It has been found that the configuration of the shelf sections allows the shelf to support loads as high as 300 pounds with across a span of as much as feet without excessive deflection at the center of the shelf. The channels 32 and 36 along opposite margins of the shelf sections lock the sections together independently of the bolt 42, so that the sections do not come apart when the shelf is being assembled on the brackets 10. Also, the channels materially contribute to the strength and rigidity of the shelf when installed. The teeth 14 are strong enough to support the load on the shelf without bending. In fact, it has been found that under excessive loads, the shelf falls only after the plaster in the drywall yields so much that the teeth are no longer held in place.

The shelf assembly of this invention may be easily installed by semi-skilled workmen, since no measuring or cutting of the components is required. It is merely necessary to locate the brackets at the proper height and to assemble the components by following a technique that is relatively simple. A shelf may be quickly installed in the closet, thereby substantially reducing building costs.

While this invention has been illustrated and described in a preferred embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination a shelf and brackets for supporting the shelf, said brackets each comprising an elongated bearing plate, said plate having an outer surface on one side and having a plurality of teeth projecting outwardly from said outer surface, said brackets having a flange on the opposite side extending longitudinally of said bearing plate, said flange and said teeth being substantially aligned with each other, said shelf being formed of thin, substantially rigid sheet material and having a horizontal support surface portion, and a plurality of flanges projecting outwardly on one side of said support surface portion, said shelf including a pair of shelf sections, each of said sections having said support portion and said flanges, said shelf sections being arranged in telescoping relation for adjusting the length of said shelf, and including means for locking said sections against longitudinal movement relative to each other, each of said sections having a longitudinal flange along the center of the section, said center flange of each section projecting downwardly from the support surface, one of said center flanges including a longitudinal groove for receiving said center flange of the other section, and said locking means including a fastener extending through the center flanges of both of said sections and preventing longitudinal and vertical movement of said flanges relative to each other, whereby said support surface portion rests on said brackets when said brackets and shelf are assembled together and said bracket flange supports said shelf when said teeth of each bracket are embedded in opposite walls with said bearing plate surface engaging the wall surface.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said one shelf section has a plurality of holes extending through said center flange, said holes being spaced longitudinally of said flange, and the other of said shelf sections having a hole extending through said center flange in alignment with one of said holes of said one flange to form a passage through both of said flanges, and said locking means includes bolt means extending through said passage and securing said shelf sections against movement relative to each other.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein said bracket flange has an opening therein for receiving said shelf flange, and other flanges on said shelf sections overlap opposite ends of said bracket flange, whereby lateral displacement of the said shelf from said bracket is prevented.

4. In a closet shelf installation having opposed upright walls, brackets mounted on said walls and a shelf extending between said walls and supported on said brackets, the improvement wherein said brackets each comprise an elongated strip having upper and lower edges and having a plurality of teeth projecting outwardly on one side of said strip and being embedded tions at opposite ends of said in said wall, said teeth being spaced from said lower edge, said strip also having a flange projecting outwardly from said wall, said teeth and said flange being substantially in alignment with each other on opposite sides of said strip, sections, each of said shelf sections being formed of a thin, substantially rigid sheet material and having a substantially flat support portion, one of said sections having a flange extending longitudinally thereof, and the other of said sections having a groove extending longitudinally thereof and receiving said flange of said one section therein, and said shelf including means for locking said sections together, said shelf support porshelf resting on the upper side of the respective bracket flanges.

5. The combination according to claim 4. wherein said shelf flanges include channels extending along opposite edges of said shelf, said channels overlapping said bracket flange, whereby said channels resist separation of said shelf from said bracket.

6. In combination, a shelf and brackets for supporting the shelf, said brackets each comprising an elongated bearing plate, said plate having inner and outer surfaces and an upper edge and a lower edge and havsaid shelf including a pair of shelf 5 ing a plurality of teeth spaced upwardly from said lower edge, said teeth projecting outwardly from said outer surface, said plate having a flange projecting outwardly from said inner surface, said flange extending longitudinally of said bearing plate and being spaced upwardly from said lower edge and in substantial alignment with said teeth, said shelf including a pair of shelf sections formed of thin, substantially rigid sheet material, each of said sections having a horizontal support surface portion and a plurality of channels cooperating to retain said shelf sections together in telescoping relation for adjusting the length of said shelf, said channels being spaced apart transversely of said shelf substantially the same distance as the length of said bracket flange, and said shelf including means for locking said sections against longitudinal movement relative to each other.

7. The combination according; to claim 6 wherein said teeth are arranged in a row extending longitudinally of said plate, said teeth having a greater width than thickness, the width dimension of said teeth being parallel to the length of said plate, and said row being substantially midway between said edges. 

1. In combination a shelf and brackets for supporting the shelf, said brackets each comprising an elongated bearing plate, Said plate having an outer surface on one side and having a plurality of teeth projecting outwardly from said outer surface, said brackets having a flange on the opposite side extending longitudinally of said bearing plate, said flange and said teeth being substantially aligned with each other, said shelf being formed of thin, substantially rigid sheet material and having a horizontal support surface portion, and a plurality of flanges projecting outwardly on one side of said support surface portion, said shelf including a pair of shelf sections, each of said sections having said support portion and said flanges, said shelf sections being arranged in telescoping relation for adjusting the length of said shelf, and including means for locking said sections against longitudinal movement relative to each other, each of said sections having a longitudinal flange along the center of the section, said center flange of each section projecting downwardly from the support surface, one of said center flanges including a longitudinal groove for receiving said center flange of the other section, and said locking means including a fastener extending through the center flanges of both of said sections and preventing longitudinal and vertical movement of said flanges relative to each other, whereby said support surface portion rests on said brackets when said brackets and shelf are assembled together and said bracket flange supports said shelf when said teeth of each bracket are embedded in opposite walls with said bearing plate surface engaging the wall surface.
 2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said one shelf section has a plurality of holes extending through said center flange, said holes being spaced longitudinally of said flange, and the other of said shelf sections having a hole extending through said center flange in alignment with one of said holes of said one flange to form a passage through both of said flanges, and said locking means includes bolt means extending through said passage and securing said shelf sections against movement relative to each other.
 3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein said bracket flange has an opening therein for receiving said shelf flange, and other flanges on said shelf sections overlap opposite ends of said bracket flange, whereby lateral displacement of the said shelf from said bracket is prevented.
 4. In a closet shelf installation having opposed upright walls, brackets mounted on said walls and a shelf extending between said walls and supported on said brackets, the improvement wherein said brackets each comprise an elongated strip having upper and lower edges and having a plurality of teeth projecting outwardly on one side of said strip and being embedded in said wall, said teeth being spaced from said lower edge, said strip also having a flange projecting outwardly from said wall, said teeth and said flange being substantially in alignment with each other on opposite sides of said strip, said shelf including a pair of shelf sections, each of said shelf sections being formed of a thin, substantially rigid sheet material and having a substantially flat support portion, one of said sections having a flange extending longitudinally thereof, and the other of said sections having a groove extending longitudinally thereof and receiving said flange of said one section therein, and said shelf including means for locking said sections together, said shelf support portions at opposite ends of said shelf resting on the upper side of the respective bracket flanges.
 5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein said shelf flanges include channels extending along opposite edges of said shelf, said channels overlapping said bracket flange, whereby said channels resist separation of said shelf from said bracket.
 6. In combination, a shelf and brackets for supporting the shelf, said brackets each comprising an elongated bearing plate, said plate having inner and outer surfaces and an upper edge and a lower edge and havIng a plurality of teeth spaced upwardly from said lower edge, said teeth projecting outwardly from said outer surface, said plate having a flange projecting outwardly from said inner surface, said flange extending longitudinally of said bearing plate and being spaced upwardly from said lower edge and in substantial alignment with said teeth, said shelf including a pair of shelf sections formed of thin, substantially rigid sheet material, each of said sections having a horizontal support surface portion and a plurality of channels cooperating to retain said shelf sections together in telescoping relation for adjusting the length of said shelf, said channels being spaced apart transversely of said shelf substantially the same distance as the length of said bracket flange, and said shelf including means for locking said sections against longitudinal movement relative to each other.
 7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein said teeth are arranged in a row extending longitudinally of said plate, said teeth having a greater width than thickness, the width dimension of said teeth being parallel to the length of said plate, and said row being substantially midway between said edges. 